


A Flower Blooms in Akihabara

by Midonin



Category: Axanael, Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger, Steins;Gate, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters
Genre: Akihabara, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, Karaoke, Mecha, New Year's Eve, Russian Roulette, Tanuki, Voice Actor Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 11:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midonin/pseuds/Midonin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Go-Busters run into... the Akibaranger? After a delusional teamup, the MMZs and Enetron have a dangerous reaction, one that transports the Akibaranger back to Akihabara on New Years' Eve... in a 2D world? Good kids, don't read this!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs Akibaranger

_In the year 2012 Anno Novi, urban life is supported by the powerful energy source known as Enetron. Vaglass is a group determined to steal and use Enetron to attack humanity. The Go-Busters are young men and women who undertake special missions to defend humanity._

* * *

The Energy Management Center was a tense place. Even when the Vaglass weren’t launching an attack, Enter was still planning something. This thought lingered in the back of the employees’ minds. Today was the day security was being reinforced around the secret entrances. After Enter had broken in last time, it was a miracle the base was still intact. The workers toiled away with their drills and wires. The sounds could be faintly heard, even several meters below the Earth.

It was early in the morning. Time didn’t matter much underground, but Ryuji Iwasaki still felt the fatigue in his body as he typed away on his laptop. As the oldest of the three, Commander Kuroki had trusted him to find ways to further benefit the trio in his free time. Enter didn’t follow any set pattern to his attacks. Sometimes he was after information, other times he was after materials; often, the former led to the latter.

Ryuji heard the clanking metallic footsteps of Gorisaki behind him. The bulky, blue robot gorilla spun his steering wheel face around like an owl. He massaged Ryuji’s shoulders, and peered at his laptop monitor.

“Ryuji, you don’t have to overwork yourself so early in the morning,” said Gorisaki, “Usada can process information much faster than humans can, so you should get some rest. Or did the security team wake you up? I can go to the surface and speed up the process.”

“Gorisaki, I volunteered for this,” said Ryuji. A notice flashed on the bottom corner of the screen. “I didn’t think there would be an attack there.”

Ryuji began composing a message to the commander.

“I’m not doing this for fame, I’m doing it so that people are safe. Once they’ve been protected, they don’t need to spend any more of their time thinking about me,” said Hiromu Sakurada while walking into the main room of the Energy Mangement Center.

“Hiromu, it’s okay to return the favor for being a hero. Every person you save might do something amazing with Enetron one day, and they’ll have you to thank for it. I think you should take the magazine up on their offer,” said Cheeda Nick. Cheeda turned around. Someone had grabbed onto one of his handlebars and started revving it.

Yoko Usami walked behind the red pair with a confident air. She let go of Nick’s handlebar and reached into her pocket. She popped open her box of candy, and the scent of fresh chocolate spread through the room. Yoko swallowed a handful of the sweets, finishing the last one when the commander took his seat. A yellow rabbit, shaped like a trash can with only wheels for movement, had been plugged into the Center’s mainframe. Gorisaki stood beside him, looking pensively at Ryuji. He already knew what was in store.

“We’ve been receiving reports about a strange man with glasses being sighted near an old computer parts shop in Akihabara. Usada, bring them up on screen,” said Commander Kuroki.

“Roger, Rabbit!” said Usada. His eye dials wobbled back and forth, and several blurry images magnified themselves on the monitor.

A figure, dressed in a T-shirt with an anime character printed on the front, was barely in the frame of each of the photos. The edges of a pair of white glasses was visible in every frame. “We suspect this may be Enter, but glasses like this have become popular in Akihabara lately. The protagonist of a popular superhero anime wears a pair very similar to them. If the Vaglass are planning something, Akihabara would be a prime target. It’s a hotbed of electronics, including a thriving second hand market. I want you to investigate. Busters, deploy!”

“Yes, sir!” the three saluted.

Hiromu, Ryuji and Yoko donned their sunglasses, and exited the control room. Nick ran after Hiromu, while Usada and Gorisaki remained behind. Miho Nakamura pulled up the popular anime in question. For the purposes of this mission, it counted as research.

* * *

Enter stood in the center of his platform in subspace. The giant, floating digital head of Messiah hovered above him, impatiently waiting for instructions. “My majesty, Messiah,” Enter intoned, “I have discovered a place where people are more than willing to give us parts for machines that went obsolete 13 years ago. They think I’m a cosplayer. It does have a certain je ne sai quos, doesn’t it?”

“Just bring the Enetron here! I want mankind to know the name of the ruler that subjugated them! If this works, Akihabara will be the first place I claim!” raved Messiah, floating around the world of ones and zeroes.

“I’ve already got someone on the inside who agrees with every word you just said,” Enter replied. He phased out of subspace and back onto the streets of Akiba. He examined a cell phone sitting in a store window. It wasn’t a smartphone, but its features were modern enough. The flip-top design pleased Enter.

Enter downloaded the Diary Metavirus into the cell phone. The tiny handheld device magnified to several times its size. The Cellphoneroid had a streamlined form. The cell phone’s keypad was emblazoned on the chest of his armor. The cycloid screen had been folded sideways, giving the robot an appearance similar to a hammerhead shark.

Parts of the Cellphoneroid’s body were transported onto a Type Gamma Megazord, and the countdown to the next step of world domination began. Enter spoke into the Cellphoneroid’s receiver. “Malshina, I’ve done my legwork. I leave the rest up to you.”

* * *

The Busters arrived in the middle of Akihabara. The giant Animate store and the giant Enetron tower were both in their line of sight. The people around them were in a state of mass confusion. They were sending mass messages to each other, but none of their communications were making it through. Any attempt at talking was redirected to the same, mysterious number, and the call ended shortly after.

Hiromu stepped off Nick, transformed into a motorcycle, and looked through his Binocular Blade. The Cellphoneroid could be seen laughing with a staticy noise, absorbing every phone call in the surrounding area, from the second story of a nearby business. The owner had already left for safer places.

“All of your phone’s Enetron belongs to me!” gloated the robot.

“Sir, we’ve found our target,” said Hiromu into his Morphin’ Brace. He, as well as Ryuji and Yoko, pressed the large button on their Morphin’ Brace. A green, holographic image of their suits materialized.

“It’s Morphin’ Time!” spoke the three Braces.

“Let’s Morphin’!” said the trio. Their suits materialized over their body in an Enetron-powered display of digital code. They held the orange glasses to their helmets. The glasses broke off, magnetized towards their heads, and transformed into protective eyewear in their respective colors.

“Hey, get down here!” Yoko shouted.

She bent down and sprung into the air. She landed on the balcony of the window. Her Binocular Blade stabbed into the Metaroid’s shoulder, sending it plummeting down to the street. Yoko pulled her weapon out and kicked the Metaroid on its chest. A random series of numbers was programmed into the cell phone robot, and its shoulder quickly repaired the damage. It swatted Yoko away. She stopped herself mid-flight.

Hiromu and Ryuji charged ahead. They transformed their Camera Busters into gun mode, and fired off a volley of shots at the Cellphoneroid. These did nothing but input more numbers into the system, randomly calling more people and bringing more Enetron to the Vaglass. Hiromu fired a shot at the Metaroid’s face. It reeled from the impact.

“This Metaroid is easy. We should have this mission wrapped up in no time,” said Hiromu. He pressed a button on the back of his Camera Buster. The gun locked onto the Metaroid’s screen, preparing for a final shot. Hiromu continued pointing at the Metaroid. Yoko ran over to him and waved her hand in front of his face.

“Hiromu? Are you okay?” she asked.

“If he’s frozen like this, that must mean...” Ryuji said.

A large, humanoid chicken monster, with designs in its feathers that made it look like it was wearing a three piece suit, appeared beside the Metaroid. Nick transformed back to Buddyroid mode, and grabbed Hiromu by the waist, pulling him off to the side.

“It’s a giant chicken,” said the cheetah robot.

An office lady, obviously drunk, crossed the street. The Metaroid fired a blast from its cell phone in her direction. Ryuji activated his Super Power and punched the Metaroid square in the face. He let the office lady fall into his arms. “Ma’am, you shouldn’t be in the middle of a fight,” he said. “We’ve got this handled.”

“Actually, I played you all for chumps,” said the office lady. She placed a pair of sunglasses on, and spontaneously transformed into a busty woman, dressed in black leather gear. Her short, black hair transformed into flowing purple. “That bird over there is Nagatacho Gallusgallus, the latest Chief Clerk of Guerrilla Marketing. I see Enter’s sent his little robot out, too.”

“Guerrilla Marketing?” asked Ryuji.

“That’s a dirty trick, Malshina!” a dramatic voice echoed from within the computer parts store. “Red Buster’s weak point is his fear of chickens! Whatever you’re planning to do with that bird, it can’t compare to the evils of using a hero’s weakness against him! The Akibaranger will avenge him!”

A man in a hero suit stumbled out of the store. His armor was red and black, with the words “Not a Sentai” printed across the chest in bold, white letters. His helmet looked like a spiky head of red hair, with a golden line separating his visor from the rest of his helmet. The suit was accentuated with a white scarf that had gotten tangled in the doorknob on the way out.

“Yeesh, old man, you can’t even do a heroic entrance right,” said a sarcastic voice behind him.

“Nyobuo’s just excited ‘cause his heroes are here!” said a perky voice.

The two girls on the team had similar suits of armor, with the difference of skirts and obvious breasts. Their visors were more similar, with Blue having a ponytail molded on the back of her helmet, and Yellow having twin pigtails. Their leader, Nobuo, struck a dramatic pose.

“We’ll fight the Vaglass, and protect the safety of Akihabara! What are we protecting it from?” he asked.

“Oh, that,” said Malshina, making the same pose as the anime poster behind her, “Gallusgallus was going to brainwash your politicians into making anime heavily restricted. Say goodbye to any chance of mainstream appreciation!”

“That sucks!” Nobuo said, getting on his knees. He stood up and cheerfully walked over to Hiromu, shaking his hand like he was a member of AKB48. “Hello, I’m Nobuo Akagi, and I’m pretty much your biggest fan. If a full Sentai team is here, then we’re probably in a V-Cinema. The only team to get a crossover in their main series was Gokaiger, and that was sort of an anomaly...”

Hiromu wanted to shoo Nobuo away from the fight scene, but as long as that chicken was in his presence, he couldn’t move.

“Full Sentai team? I thought Sun Vulcan was the only three-person team,” said Mitsuki.

“They do have two new Busters coming later, but those toy catalogs aren’t supposed to be seen by the general public,” said Nobuo.

The Cellphoneroid had been gathering text messages from all over the city while this was going on. Gallusgallus was figuring out how to operate him in order to propose a new law. The problem was that he lacked the necessary fingers for it.

“Commander, we have something very weird going on here,” said Yoko.

“Have you heard of the Akibaranger?” asked Ryuji.

Morishita’s voice responded from their Morphin’ Braces. “They’re a local Sentai team, like Mabuyer. That’s all the information I have, because they’re not showing up in any of the records we found after the Super Hero War. Use your best judgement. They’re nerds, so their idea of ‘normal’ may not match up with yours.”

“Yoko, we’ll take the chicken. You two girls handle the Metaroid,” said Ryuji. “Busters, Ready...”

“Go!” He and Yoko shouted at the same time.

Yoko and Ryuji fired a barrage of shots from their Camera Buster. Gallusgallus was knocked back. He spread his wings and started fluttering about on the rooftops. Yoko jumped into the air, kicking him in the head. Her body was starting to feel fatigued. She removed her helmet, and opened another box of sweets. Ryuji slashed away at the government chicken relentlessly, but the creature’s strength was a match for his own. Its beak felt like it would crack his visor.

Yumeria pushed her hands underneath her chest. The Cellphoneroid’s clicking noise multiplied, until it sounded like the buzzing of several angry bees. Yumeria gently pushed down on Mitsuki’s back. “Come on, Mitsuki. You get it into it, too! You’re much more nyaturally moe!” Mitsuki’s skirt flipped up, revealing the polar bear molded into her panties.

“No peeking shots!” Mitsuki screamed, kicking the Cellphoneroid in its torso with a powerful thrust. She turned around and lay her fists into the robot’s shell. Its reinforced plastic shell removed the force from her punches.

“This is better than Enetron!” shouted the Cellphoneroid.

Enter whirred to the top of the Animate store in a flurry of data. He raised his glasses and examined the scene below. “This Metaroid is quite a pervert. My majesty Messiah would not be pleased. I think it’s fun to watch them squirm.”

The chicken had been pushed out of his line of sight. Hiromu regained his consciousness, and fired a stray shot that just nearly missed Nobuo’s spiked helmet. Nobuo did not care. “You guys are awesome! I wasn’t deluding that an Enetron tank had shown up. The world of Sentai is coming to me instead of the other way around. So tell me, Hiromu... can I call you Hiromu? What’s your relationship with your sister like? Kobyashi enjoys sibling relations, so...”

“Can you shut up for a moment?” said Hiromu. Nobuo stood silent. “This is a mission! Peoples’ lives are at stake! I’m not some sort of celebrity. How did you know we were getting additional team members? Kuroki hasn’t told us anything about that.”

“Where I come from... never mind. It’s so awesome!” Nobuo said. “This is how the first part of any crossover goes.” The sounds of battle continued behind him. Metal against metal, and loud squawking about passing Bills echoed in the background. “The heroes have to fight each other for some reason, just to provide some way to compare the powers. They always fight together in the end, because their goals are the same! So, what are we going to fight over?”

Nobuo held his Binocular Blade directly to Nobuo’s visor. “You consider yourself a hero? You can talk all you want, but when your family is being held captive by a mad virus, every battle is important. Stop treating me like I’m some sort of milestone. I have a Metaroid to destroy.” Hiromu walked away from his fellow Red. “I thought Kamen Rider Fourze was energetic...”

“Huh? Kamen Rider?” asked Nobuo, tilting his head.

“You know, Kamen Rider. With the belts and the bug eyes,” said Hiromu.

“I’ve never heard of that franchise. Is it any good?” asked Nobuo.

“Stay out of my way! Nick!” said Hiromu.

Nick ran up beside Hiromu and transformed instantly into his motorcycle mode. Hiromu jumped on and launched a barrage of shots from his firearm. He looked away from Gallusgallus, and hope the shots hit. The bird dodged every one of them, and had already pinned Ryuji and Yoko under his wings.

The Cellphoneroid had given up on fighting completely. It had turned off its calling and mailing, and focused all of its power towards the camera lens. Its keys were starting to become cracked and its screen had been coated with dust.

Hiromu tried to find a mirror to look into, but even that would put him in the chicken’s line of vision. Enter teleported to the ground level. While Hiromu was looking away, his white tendrils extended from his body and wrapped around Nick’s chassis. He typed something into his laptop, and the Metaroid retreated from battle.

“Sorry, Go-Busters, Akibaranger. This is getting boring,” said Enter. “Au revoir.”

“We’ll fight you again later. Vaglass is financing our urban redevelopment now,” said Malshina, making eyes at Enter. “Gallusgallus, retreat for now. We have some things to censor.”

The two humanoids and four monsters teleported away from the scene. Nick, his accelerator running at full power, pushed against Enter’s tentacles. He couldn’t escape, and was dragged into the transport stream with the villains.

“Nick!” shouted Hiromu. “This is all your fault.” He took off his helmet and glared at Nobuo. A feeling of dejection washed over the scene of the battle. A whirring sound echoed from the oddly shaped guns in the Akibaranger’s hands, and the world dissolved to pure white.

* * *

The Sentai Cafe Secret Base was hosting an event that Nobuo had never dreamed would come. Katsuhiro Suzuki, Ryouma Baba and Arisa Komiya were coming to Secret Base for a fan meet and greet. Keiji Fujiwara, Tessho Genda and Tatsuhisa Suzuki would also be making appearances. For Nobuo, this was a dream come true. The meetup would have to be put on hold.

“Fujiwara’s going to be a little late. Maybe he got stuck in traffic,” said Kozkoz Mita, currently dressed as Go-Onger’s Saki. “Nobuo, everyone, you can make small talk with the actors while we figure out what’s going on.”

“I’m sure Malshina is behind this,” Nobuo said to himself.

Katsuhiro Suzuki was giving him an odd look. “You’re acting awfully close for somebody I just met today.”


	2. Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger vs Go-Busters

_A tiny paradise amidst a sea of skyscrapers: Akihabara. There we find three warriors who believe that pain is power, and who fight battles that exist entirely in their heads. They are Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger._

* * *

“The work I had to do to get an official Sentai team to visit here was exhausting,” said Hiroyo Hakase, resting her head in her arms. “They almost chose Masaru Shishido’s place over ours. Hopefully this improves sales.” She whispered in Nobuo’s ear. “I want to see where your delusions lead next.”

Nobuo wondered what to say to Katsuhiro Suzuki. They were both Red Rangers, but Suzuki was younger than him. Ryouma Baba was closer to his age, but he identified more with Hiromu’s circumstances. Komiya seemed nice, but during this event, she would probably be in character. Yoko was snippy towards Hiromu already, he couldn’t imagine how she’d treat him.

“What made you decide to join the Go-Busters?” asked Nobuo to Suzuki.

“I want to give people something to look up to. We’ve all been going through tough times lately, and the kids need to know that someone’s out there, looking out for them,” said Katsuhiro.

“Everyone has a role to play. My character can’t dance, but he makes up for it with his brains. Like you do,” said Tatsuhisa.

“It’s fun to be part of a great legacy like Super Sentai. I even returned to Gokaiger, even though all they had me say was one line,” said Tessho.

“Even older fans like you learn something from this show,” said Arisa. “Just don’t talk about it so loudly in public.”

“Now, what’s this you were saying about delusions?” asked Ryouma. “There are some applications on the computers here that I haven’t seen before. Are you saying this ordinary cafe can monitor the human mind?”

“Something like that,” said Hiroyo, firing up one of the PCs. She opened a window displaying all the usual filming locations for Sentai heroes. “You may not know it, but while these three were spacing out, they were having a VS movie with you inside their heads. Akagi stops by here every Saturday morning to watch your show.”

Nobuo sat in the corner, embarrassed. “It’s my fault Fujiwara’s late. I want to be a hero to protect the peace like you guys, but real life just doesn’t give it to me! I have to invent situations for me to be a hero. That’s a villainous thing to do.”

“True. I just go into it so I can beat people up,” said Mitsuki sheepishly. “I know what happens with you in the show, Baba. Your overheating and my exuberance aren’t all that different. I-I promise I’m getting better, though.”

“Yumeria just likes it because it’s nyunreal,” said Yumeria cheerily. She rested one of her cat paws on Arisa’s shoulders. “So, what happens next in a crossover, Nyobuo?”

“Next comes the part where the heroes go to save the day and stop whatever scheme the villains are trying to pull off. It would go something like this...” Nobuo said. The world performed a jump cut, and the scenery rapidly changed.

* * *

Instead of Secret Base, the team was now gathered in the Energy Management Center, with the Buddyroids, the commander and the two operatives listening to Yumeria’s plan. Nobuo was examining every detail of the room, almost ignoring the ongoing conversation.

Ryuji was spontaneously dressed as a butler. The girls had donned a greater variety of outfits. Yumeria had changed into a qipao, and affected an accent to match. Mitsuki was wearing a maid outfit, complete with frilly headdress. Yoko, mostly because Yumeria found it amusing, was dressed as a bunny girl.

“This is plnyan!” she said.

“What part of this is a plan?” said Mitsuki and Yoko at the same time.

“Ryuji distracts Malshina, and we distract Enter. Then we rescue Nick and that other office lady from the Enetron tank where they’re being held captive,” said Hiromu. “It’s not a very tactical plan, but I’ll put my trust in your creativity.”

“When was Sayaka captured?” asked Mitsuki.

“Sorry, I added her into the fantasy. I needed something at stake for me,” said Nobuo.

Commander Kuroki spoke up. “Once you’ve freed them, take the battle to the abandoned quarry. We want to minimize damages. Busters, Akibaranger, move out!”

“Yes, sir!” the six heroes saluted.

The Busters entered the tubes first, with the Akibaranger following immediately after. They returned to the heart of Akihabara, and the mission began. Akihabara’s Enetron tank was hard to miss. Even it had been decorated with anime posters. It was thought this would make it harder to spot.

* * *

Enter and Malshina stood guard over their hostages. An army of Corporate Drones and Buglers had been assembled to block the heroes’ progress. Enter kept his tentacles out. Malshina wasn’t sure if she should talk to him. Tentacles seemed exploitative, and she was a carnivorous woman. She was much more interested in the cheetah robot.

“After we defeat the Rangers, I am going to ride you all over town,” said Malshina, stroking Nick’s face. “I want to know what you can do with those handlebars.”

“Ma’am, I’m a robot. The only drive I have is rear wheel,” said Nick.

“Why was I brought into this?” asked Sayaka.

“You’re important to Akiba Red. I wanted bait to lure him out here,” said Enter. His laptop flashed with a notification from the Cellphoneroid. “What’s going on here?”

The Cellphoneroid was taking pictures of the three girls. Yumeria was moving around with passion, turning every camera pose into a kick to the Metaroid. Mitsuki and Yoko were doing their part half heartedly. The Cameraroid, as it turns out, had a weakness for tsundere, and was drawn to Mitsuki once again.

“Malshina, we’re having a problem,” said Enter. “Malshina?”

Malshina was pressing her body up against Ryuji’s. “I do have a thing for older men. Tell me, are you feeling hot right now?”

“You really don’t want me to do that,” said Ryuji. “When I overheat, I become dangerous.”

“You can be as dangerous as you want to be,” said Malshina.

“Hiromu, Akagi, now!” Ryuji whispered into his Morphin’ Brace.

Hiromu pressed the Transponder on his shoulder. “Transport” sounded, and his Binocular Blade materialized in his hands. He activated his super speed, and dashed past the troops before they got a chance to notice him. He cut the ropes tying Sayaka and Nick to the Enetron tower. Nobuo wrapped his arms around Sayaka, only to have her vanish moments later.

“What happened with that?” asked Nick.

“I don’t want my first date with Sayaka to be delusional. This was just for the scenario,” said Nobuo. “I’m glad you guys are reunited. Now, watch this.”

“You idiots!” shouted Malshina and Enter.

“Sorry,” Ryuji said, changing from butler to Buster in under a second.

“Now the real fight begins,” said Yoko. She changed back into her work uniform, while Yumeria and Mitsuki remained in their cosplay. The world spun around, and before anyone at the scene had a chance to blink, they were transported to the rock quarry.

“I thought transporting was dangerous for humans,” said Hiromu.

“Wow, there’s a lot of robots down there,” said Yumeria.

“The Buglers, too,” said Yoko.

“Hiromu, leave the chicken to us,” said Ryuji.

“As long as... something about a flag, we should win,” said Mitsuki.

“That’s the power of delusions,” said Nobuo. “Now let’s thrash these guys!”

Nagatacho Gallusgallus, the Cellphoneroid, Enter, Malshina and their armies were lined up at the bottom of the quarry. The Rangers stood in groups of three at the top of the cliff, with the Blues in the center and the Yellows to the sides.

The Akibaranger produced their Moe Moe Z-Cune. They gripped Aoi’s legs, and waved her about. The Busters’ suits appeared in their Braces.

“Grand Delusion!” shouted the Akibaranger.

“It’s Morphin’ Time!” spoke the Braces.

The MMZ cutely shouted “Bang!” as Aoi’s armor closed up around her. The Akibarangers’ suits materialized over their body in a single flash of colored energy. The Busters’ suits did the same.

“Let’s Morphin’!”

Six heroes stood on the cliff. They announced their names one by one. Their voices echoed across the canyon, audible even to the villains down below.

"My favorite spy is Sou, Sou Souta! Akiba Red!" Nobuo struck a mimicry of Bouken Blue’s pose.

"Akiba Blue." Mitsuki took a fighting stance.

"You know, crossovers are some of the toughest things to get right, because you don't want to give too much attention to either side, and..." Yumeria gestured wildly with her fingers, stopping only when she saw Yoko glaring at her.

"Pain is power!" the team went through their motions, holding their arms to the side and swinging their legs around, finishing with their team logo shining behind them.

"Unofficial Sentai... Akibaranger!"

The Busters had no elaborate poses. This did not stop elaborate backgrounds from spontaneously appearing behind them.

"Red Buster!"

"Blue Buster!"

"Yellow Buster!"

"Busters, Ready..." Hiromu said, leaning down to prepare for a running charge.

"Go!"

"Entering a new era of delusions..." Nobuo and Hiromu spoke in unison.

"We are Super Sentai!"

With that final announcement, the Busters’ GB and the Akibarangers’ A logos overlapped, creating a shining golden sigil, followed by an explosion. Mitsuki was knocked aside by the blast, leaning on Ryuji’s arm.

The six jumped off the cliff, somersaulting on their way down. First the Reds, then the Blues, then the Yellows.

The Akibaranger fired a barrage of shots from their MMZs. Every blast took out a crowd of Buglers. When a hole was created in their body, they began to dissolve into a pile of data. Nobuo shot the hole again, Mitsuki threw one Bugler into another, and Yumeria simply ducked, letting the Buglers run into each other.

The Busters were confused if they should be shooting the Corporate Drones at all. When the faceless, glasses-wearing familiars began throwing hot coffee at them and bashing them with clipboards, it became apparent there was only one course of action. Hiromu activated his super speed, tearing through the crowds. Ryuji slammed into the ground, knocking them into the air for Yoko to smash down again.

The heroes posed in the middle of the chaos as the armies of cannon fodder exploded around them. Malshina was awed by the chaos. An ember from the battlezone fell onto the palm of her hand. She pushed down the top of Enter’s computer. “I don’t want to be killed out there. This battle’s already been lost. I leave it up to you.”

Enter typed something into his laptop while staring at Malshina. “My majesty Messiah, we’ve gathered enough Enetron for now. I got some specs from the Buddyroid, too. Let them enjoy their game.”

Gallusgallus and the Cellphoneroid were all that remained. The Blues and the Yellows agreed to handle the chicken, while Hiromu and Nobuo set their sights on the phone. Hiromu spoke into his Morphin’ Brace before charging into battle. “Prepare the Buster Machines. Any idea on when the Megazord is going to arrive?”

Miho’s voice, muffled by the distance, replied. “This is strange. The Megazord countdown isn’t showing any set number. Everything is unknown.”

Nobuo grabbed Hiromu’s wrist. “That’s because we’re here, Miss Nakamura. The Megazord will arrive when the plot deems it appropriate. We need to have our exciting battle first!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Hiromu.

“Nothing. I’m ready to terminate his service!” said Nobuo.

Ryuji started the attack pattern against the government poultry. He threw strong punches at the chicken’s suit, exposing holes in the fabric hiding bribe money. His body heated up with every punch, bringing him dangerously close to burning up. He backed down at the last second, clearing the way for Mitsuki and Yoko to deliver a double barrage of kicks to the chicken’s torso. Gallusgallus’s head was smacked side to side by their legs. His world became blurry. As he spun around, he didn’t notice Yumeria running behind him and slamming her knees into the back of his neck.

Nobuo taunted the Cellphoneroid from a distance. “We’ve triggered the victory flag! There’s nothing you can do to stop us now!” Energy blasts fired from the MMZ. Nobuo aimed for the 4 key, typing in a repeating series of 4s on the Metaroid’s screen. After ten shots, the key shattered into pieces, exposing the core of the monster. Hiromu used his super speed and fired a shot directly into the Cellphoneroid’s core, sending him staggering backwards.

Hiromu turned to Nobuo. “Here, use my Ridiculous Power. ...what am I saying?”

“Thanks, Red Buster!” Nobuo said enthusiastically. He slammed his fist into Hiromu’s chest. In a puff of smoke, Hiromu was transformed into a giant pair of orange sunglasses, not unlike the Morphin’ Brace’s shades. Three notches, in red, blue and yellow, were marked along the top of the shades.

He turned towards the Cellphoneroid. “I call it the Buster Glasses! Take this!” Nobuo threw the Buster Glass towards the Metaroid like a boomerang. The glasses spun around wildly, homing in on their target. Scratches appeared on the robot’s outer shell. The Buster Glasses flew back around to Nobuo’s hand, and transformed back into Hiromu.

“Don’t make do that again,” he said.

“I wonder if there are 36 Ridiculous Powers that I could use to unlock the Most Ridiculous Treasure in the Universe...” Nobuo mused.

“Focus!” Hiromu said, slapping him on his back.

The six heroes regrouped as the two monsters wobbled around beside each other. The Busters combined their sword and gun into a single, more powerful weapon. Both teams pressed a button on the back of their firearms.

“It’s Time For Special Buster!”  
“Here it comes!”

The six energy balls, their primary-colored trails spinning around through the quarry, impacted against the monsters. Electricity crackled over their bodies, and they exploded. Mitsuki and Yumeria turned around and celebrated. Nobuo held off.

“This is a VS special, and the Busters always fight a Megazord. Which should be arriving... now,” Nobuo said.

The Cellphone Zord materialized in the middle of the quarry. It began stomping towards Akihabara, in search of Enetron for its majesty. Nobuo held his MMZ to the sky, and yelled a command into it. “Machine Itasshar, deploy!”

“I hear you. Sending it now. When was this feature added?” asked Hiroyo on the other end.

“Itasshar?” asked Yoko. “Don’t tell me you guys drive a...”

The three Buster Machines rolled onto the scene. Their animal heads were sticking out, meaning the control panels had already been prepared. Following behind them, looking puny in comparison, was Machine Itasshar. A Prius with Z-Cune Aoi labels, her animated visage visible from the other end of the quarry.

“It is,” said Hiromu.

The Busters boarded their Machines. RH-03 brought itself to the ground and reconfigured its parts into a rabbit-like form. GT-02 gained a pair of legs, and took on the hunched stance of a gorilla. CB-01 ran through the canyon in a feline manner before standing upright in humanoid form. Its glasses locked on, and a sword was transported into its hand.

“It’s Go-Buster Ace!” Nobuo said. “We have to show them what we can do. Unofficial Transformation!”

He opened the glove box and slid Aoi’s theme song, “Heroic lily”, into the CD player. The volume hit maximum, and the car transformed into a roughly humanoid shape. Nobuo manned the cannon, while Yumeria drove and Mitsuki backseat drove.

“Complete! Itasshar Robo!” Nobuo said as he boarded his robot.

Itasshar Robo and Go-Buster Ace ran through the canyon at the same time. The difference became obvious. Itasshar Robo barely came up to Ace’s knee, much less the Megazord’s. It fired shots towards the Cellphone Zord’s waist. The tiny shots barely had an impact. Nobuo focused all the Delusion Power he could into the cannon. Itasshar Robo’s strongest attack, two massive beams of light, fired out of its gun and into the Megazords’ thigh.

It also didn’t work.

“You call that thing a robot?” asked Hiromu.

“It wasn’t built for Megazords!” said Nobuo.

GT-02 launched a volley of banana missiles at the Cellphone Zord. It formed an Enetron shield around itself, absorbing most of the attack. RH-03 fired another distance attack before hopping up and kicking it on its screen. Ace finished up the attack with a sword slash. The Gamma body was difficult to break through. Dents were made in the armor, but the Megazord itself did not budge. The Enetron in the Buster Machines was going down by the minute.

“I think I may have an idea,” Nobuo said. “Ryuji, return to vehicle mode.”

“What are you thinking of doing?” asked Ryuji.

“We’re a small projectile, so just launch Machine Itasshar right through its heart! Then you can form Go-Buster Oh,” he said.

“Won’t that kill you?” asked Yoko.

“We’re gonnya fly!” said Yumeria.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try. Gorisaki, return to vehicle mode,” said Ryuji.

GT-02 folded its parts over on each other until it returned to its default state of a blocky truck. Yoko did the same for RH-03. The rabbitcopter deployed a lift, placing Machine Itasshar on top of the gorilla truck. Machine Itasshar threw Nobuo out of his seat. It returned to its appearance of a normal car. Nobuo put himself back in the driver’s seat, and stepped on the gas pedal.

“I can feel the Enetron burning through our bodies!” he said, “Machine Itasshar, FIRE!”

The little car advertising Z-Cune Aoi drove off GT-02’s back, propelling itself through the air. A shield of Enetron wrapped around it as it flew through the air. Nobuo aimed the car directly at the 4 on the Cellphone Zord’s chestplate. Machine Itasshar scraped against the Megazord’s chest before puncturing it, flying out the other side of the giant robot. The Enetron shield still surrounding it, it landed safely on the opposite cliff.

“Hiromu, now!” shouted Nobuo.

The Cellphone Zord flailed around from its injury. Hiromu tapped the numbers on the keypad. “Combine Operation!”

“Spec-Ops Combine!” said the three in unison.

A ball of green energy surrounded the Buster Machines. GT-02 and RH-03 broke into parts, each part connecting with Go-Buster Ace. Everywhere that could be patched up had a new set of armor. RH-03’s boosters were applied to the sword, and the gestalt struck its final pose against a glowing background.

“Go-Buster Oh, Ready... Go!”

“Awesome!” Nobuo shouted.

Go-Buster Oh’s blades repelled the attacks the Cellphone Zord was sending its way. It stomped across the battlefield. Yoko pulled a switch on her control panel. “Enetron, Interlock!” she said. The boosters shone green, and Go-Buster Oh’s giant sword lit up with a shining light. The Cellphone Zord’s body had only begun to repair itself. It was too late.

An electric barrier shot out of Oh’s legs, enveloping the Cellphone Zord in a field of inescapable force. “Dimension Crash!” Hiromu said calmly. It was time for Buster. His visor lit up with the same heroic green as he pressed the button on his Brace. Go-Buster Oh slashed through the Cellphone Zord, distorting the space around it. The phone made its last call, and exploded in the middle of the quarry.

Inside Machine Itasshar, the MMZs were glowing with a very similar green light.


	3. Sasaki Ponpoko Delivery's Counterattack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Axanael part of this story takes place during the "FUTURE" route.

The battle had concluded against the sunset. The streets and wards of Tokyo were cloaked in a layer of darkness. The six Rangers, joined by the three Buddyroids, walked back into town. The Busters wanted to spend a night partying in the Energy Management Center. Nobuo displayed a great lust for wanting to wash the Buster Machines. Ryuji was uncertain why their manual labor was his once in a lifetime experience.

“There’s one more thing I want to do once we get back,” Nobuo said. “Is it true? When you’re doing working, you all stand around on the platforms near Ace and dance? I’ve been learning the routine, and to dance it with the real Go-Busters would be an honor...”

“Yumeria’s been learnying it, too!” she piped in.

“Dancing? I didn’t think official Sentai teams did things like that,” said Mitsuki.

“We don’t,” said Yoko. “I can’t remember doing anything like that.”

“Yoko’s just being stubborn. We only did it once, but the commander likes to play the video every week. He says it improves morale,” Ryuji chimed in.

The Busters and the Akibaranger lounged around the base while music played. Yumeria talked things over with Nakamura. She found that going undercover for a mission and cosplaying weren’t all that different. When asked about the qipao she had worn, Yoko blushed and refused to answer.

The lights around the EMC started to dim. Hiromu popped open his MMZ-01. Hiroyo’s voice, a little staticy, came through the gun’s speaker. “What’s going on in there? You’ve been trapped in a delusion for a long time. Without your Akibaranger suits, too. That much exposure to a dream world could have some dangerous consequences.”

“Dream world?” asked Kuroki from his desk. “Is this another matter related to subspace?”

“Shh!” Nobuo spoke up. “We’re going to be fine. We’ll wake ourselves up when we want to. It’s not like that much time passes inside one of these things. See you on the other side, Hakase.”

“We really should get going,” said Mitsuki.

“Yumeria’s gotten lots of nyew idea for doujinshi!” swooned the yellow-haired catgirl, “Maybe something with Ryuji and Hiromu. Or Hiromu and Enter. A cool, French-speaking top and a nervous, new young recruit on the bottom. Their passion cannot be contained by mere data!”

“What’s this about me and Enter?” asked Hiromu.

Nobuo covered Yumeria’s mouth with his hand. “She’s saying your... passion in... battle is getting her fired up. That’s all it is. Everyone appreciates a good rivalry.” Yumeria shook her head and bopped Nobuo with her cat paws, trying to speak up on her behalf.

“Well, Go-Busters. It’s been nice hanging out with you. I’ll be watching your adventures back in my world,” Nobuo said. “End the delusion!”

* * *

The world around them began to swirl. Normally, it was like one was blinking, followed by that feeling one gets in the pit of their stomach when they’re seated in a plane that’s about to take off. In the middle of that uncomfortable feeling, the world began to transform. It became coated in a layer of green data. The data jumbled together until it formed a bright light, and fell into darkness.

Nobuo looked down at his body. A thick, black outline was starting to form around his arms. No matter what direction he turned his body, the outline remained. His skin was losing the detail of its hairs and pores, becoming a single smooth plane of flesh. Yumeria’s eyes were changing in proportion to her body. The curves of his female teammates were becoming more noticeable.

The world came to a halt. Nobuo looked around him. They were back in Akihabara. The digital clocks around them told him it was December 31st, a few minutes after ten o’clock. The stars were barely visible in the sky, drowned out by the multitude of lights strung across the city below. Nobuo tapped a random person on the shoulder, and asked him what was going on.

“Hell if I know. There’s been a lot of weird things going on tonight. Trucks are spinning out of control, girls are running around town on their motorbikes, and the people from the shrine are running around town. Oh, you meant the time?” the passerby said, “It’s New Years’ Eve, 2010. There are really people who don’t know that?”

He walked away.

Nobuo looked in a mirror. His body looked like it had been rotoscoped. Mitsuki froze in shock, and Yumeria gleefully bounced around. Nobuo spoke into his MMZ. Hiroyo’s voice came through very faintly on the other end. He had to hold the gun close to his ear to make out what she was trying to say.

“Akagi? Can you hear me? Are you all safe?” she asked.

“Hakase, good,” Nobuo said, “Something’s very strange here. I think we’ve gone back in time, and also turned into 2D. It’s the inverse of what happened with Denbe the Dragon in Boukenger. Getting trapped in another dimension is a problem Ranger teams have faced before, and the way out is usually through brute force...”

“Listen to me for a moment,” Hiroyo insisted, “Did the Moe Moe Z-Cune come into contact with any foreign substances?”

“We powered it up with Enetron when we blasted through the Megazord, but I don’t think that’s harmful. Enetron’s just a liquid with a lot of potential energy inside it. The Busters use it without problem,” said Nobuo.

“That is the problem! Their gear was specifically calibrated to use it. The MMZ works on Delusion Power. Even a dirty delusion is still only a delusion. There’s a reason these things don’t have a place to load ammunition. You completely screwed up the system. Now they have too much power,” said Hiroyo.

Mitsuki intervened, grabbing Nobuo’s MMZ out of his hands. “What’s the problem with too much power? Overclocking isn’t a dangerous thing. You have to push your muscles past the limit if you want to become powerful.”

“The Enetron must have interfered with the system. This ended up producing Shimokura Bio Particles, which broke the barrier between 2D and 3D. Remember how I said you can only use your powers in Akiba? You went to the nearest 2D place that was still recognizable as the district, and that happens to be here, in 2010. I don’t know what sort of world it is, but you are back home. Just on another plane of existence,” she said.

“Shimokura Bio Particles...” Nobuo intoned. “Maybe if we generate enough of those we can get back.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be happening. We don’t have much time. Before long, your MMZs will completely lose power in this world, and after that I won’t know what to-” Hiroyo’s voice faded away.

“Hakase? Hakase?” Nobuo asked. “Looks like we’re on our own. Don’t worry, it’s still Akiba. We could walk around this place blindfolded.”

“So what do you want us to do?” asked Mitsuki.

“We split up!” Nobuo said, “We can cover more ground that way. I’ll go look for a way to get us home. Yumeria, see if you can find Secret Base. Even if it doesn’t exist in this universe, something must be in its location. Mitsuki... go and fight somebody.”

“Yes, sir!” Mitsuki and Yumeria replied.

Nobuo placed the MMZ behind his back. He expected it would reappear when he needed to call on it once again. It always had. That was not going to be the case tonight. The Shimokura Bio Particles had an adverse reaction, drawing the guns away from the bodies of their hosts. They flew off into the night sky, getting lost among the lights decorating the streets.

Yumeria and Mitsuki agreed to go together. There could be all sorts of creeps hiding under the cover of darkness. The news reports across town said something about a stage being set on fire after an eating contest gone awry. When Yumeria asked people if they were familiar with Z-Cune Aoi, they only looked confused. The biggest anime franchise in this world was something called Stripewitches Magical Girls.

“SMG?” asked Yumeria. “Yumeria’s cosplayed something like that before, but she can’t put her finger on what.”

* * *

Ena Fujimi had a long night. Her bright red hair hung loosely, and her body was covered in sweat. She was sitting on her bed across from her childhood friend, Chiaki Ousu. Chiaki was currently dressed in a girls’ school uniform, and his hair was tied up in pigtails. Yes, “him.” This was a ploy by Ena’s sister. She thought it made him look cute.

Ena, much to Chiaki’s surprise, agreed. After all they had been through tonight, Chiaki had proven himself to be a hero worthy of the detective girl’s caliber. Even if he was wearing a skirt. They were getting ready to consummate their love on New Years’ Eve, ignoring the events going on outside. The TV hummed in the background, but they paid it no mind.

Things came to an abrupt halt when the MMZ-01, surrounded by an aura of glowing green energy, flew in through the window like a comet and promptly bonked Chiaki on the head. He rubbed his bruise. Ena picked up the piece of evidence and examined it from every angle. It felt like a CGI model transposed into their reality. Like she wasn’t supposed to be able to touch it.

“Is... this a case!?” Ena exclaimed.

She struck her detective pose, while her jingle blared in her head. Great Detective Ena was on the case again. Tonight’s new case file: The Mystery of the Gun Doll!

“Ena, do you even know what that is?” asked Chiaki.

Ena examined the body of the doll. It looked like an anime figure, plated in armor that could easily fold into the parts of a gun. She tapped her finger against Aoi’s face. “It feels completely solid. Where’s this thing holding the ammunition?” Ena’s finger slipped, and pressed down the trigger. She waited for a moment.

A symbol materialized beneath her feet. It was a circle, with a 非 and an A inside, glowing a faint yellow color. She heard vague words in the corner of her head, telling her what to do. “Grand Delusion!” Ena shouted.

Energy rippled upward from the symbol on the floor, putting her in Akiba Yellow’s suit. It had shrunk a bit, to match her frame. Ena barely had a moment to comprehend what had happened to her when she was teleported out of the room in a flash of blue light.

* * *

Noko, through no fault of her own, had been at the center of everything that night. She, once a living delusion, had come into physical being only recently. The sight of a yandere girl dressed in gothic lolita clothing with an eyepatch would be considered strange in any other part of Japan, but now that Yumeria had landed, she was only slightly more weird. She was walking through the darkened, downtown part of Akihabara with Taito Nitori, her creator, and Sakura, leader of the biker gang Momonosekku.

Sakura had the gun Axanael in her pocket. Or so she thought. As she and Nitori dashed across town, Mill P in tow, she felt something rumble in her back pocket. She checked to see if Axanael was on her person, but pulled out a Moe Moe Z-Cune. Nitori adjusted his glasses and looked at the MMZ in the same slouched over position he had carried himself with all night.

“How’s that going to save Fuuri?” he asked.

“Is this is a doujinbo?” asked Sakura, gesturing with the plastic figure.

“That’s a figure! They’re meant for display, not carrying around!” said Nitori. A second MMZ came out of the sky and conked him on the head. He rubbed his bruise, trying to ignore the stinging pain of having a real working plastic gun fall on his head from several meters up. “It says this thing was manufactured in 2012.”

“Object. From the future,” Noko intoned in her deadpan.

“It’s a little too cute for my tastes,” said Nitori. “Anime figures don’t usually come with triggers.” He slid his finger into the grip on the back of Aoi’s head. The gun part on her foot created a red circle, similar to the one that had been beneath Ena on the other side of town. It had been years since Nitori had seen a Sentai series, but he knew what they usually did in this situation. This was a device to turn him into a superhero, no doubt about it.

“Grand Delusion!” he said.

His slim body was covered in a flash of red energy. The words “Not a Sentai” lit up on his chest. He stood in the middle of the street, posing with his newfound powers. “What is this thing?” he asked, feeling up his head. “I can see and I can speak, but my body’s been covered in... something.”

“What’s that supposed to be?” asked Sakura, “You some kind of samurai or something?”

“I’m... a hero,” Nitori exclaimed.

“So anyone can use these things?” asked Sakura, “As long as it can help me save Fuuri in some way. Grand Illusion!”

Sakura was frozen on the spot. Blue energy whirled up her body. Her long, dyed blonde hair was tucked up as her helmet, complete with a single blue ponytail, materialized on her head. She reached behind her back, making sure that her trusty wooden sword, Katsuobushi, was still with her. It had been covered with a layer of black and blue plastic, turning it into a sword forged by a legendary toymaker.

“This is unprecedented!” Mill P commented to the people gathering around the scene. “Right before my eyes, an otaku and a yankee have transformed into special effects heroes! You’ve seen plenty of odd things tonight, but this is by far the strangest! These two have... where’d they go?”

* * *

The Akibaranger suits are programmed to respond to danger. Sakura and Nitori’s detour with the MMZ had made them too late to save Fuuri. As a consequence, her fiance had gone mad. This meant that he transformed into a giant tanuki, and was now set on destroying whatever he could find in Akihabara for vengeance. The three new Akibaranger, flanked by Mill P and Chiaki, teleported on top of a nearby building.

“Who are you guys supposed to be?” asked Ena.

“We might have met before, what’s important is stopping the big tanuki!” said Sakura, making the kind of exaggerated gestures Mitsuki had never done.

Noko watched Nitori from the floor below. She was fascinated by him, and this was a side she had never seen. They had been separated for most of the night, so any chance she got to spend with him was worth it, even if it meant putting herself in the danger zone. Tonight, that was all of Akihabara.

“Nitori kills with one stone. Akiba Red!” said Nitori, making a half hearted pose.

“The Head of Momonosekku! Tsukinoya Sakura! Akiba Blue!” said Sakura, holding out her refurbished sword.

“Is this a case!? Great Detective Fujimi Ena, Akiba Yellow!” said Ena, holding out an imaginary magnifying glass.

“Pain is... power?” said Nitori. “Unofficial Sentai...”

“Akibaranger!”

The three struck an awkward united pose. An explosion appeared behind them on the rooftop. It grabbed the attention of the giant Kanta Oda, putting them within stomping range of the creature’s foot almost immediately. Nitori held up his hand, blocking the blow. He was shocked to find he had the strength to withstand it.

“So these powers... are for real?” he said. “It’s time to get serious!”

* * *

Nobuo was watching the giant television near the main street of Akiba. He saw the Akibaranger through the eyes of Mill P’s camera. He drew the onlookers away from the video screen and towards himself. Even in a crowd of nerds, he stood out. “Someone else is using our powers? In a real world? Or is this world also a delusion? They should be air fighting right now, not striking a cool pose! This is Akiba, you’re not supposed to fight in it for real? Who’s the loser who’s calling himself Akiba Red, huh? I’m the real Akiba Red around here!”

Mitsuki and Yumeria were surprised at the state of Akihabara. They had never been out and about on New Years’ Eve. While the center of town was packed with people, the back alleys were empty, cold and lightless. There was an emptiness to them that stung them harder than ever. As they walked down one of those empty streets, they used this chance to talk with each other.

“Yuuko... can I call you Yuuko?” asked Mitsuki.

“I feel comfortable enough that you kyan,” said Yumeria. “You know that I look up to you like a big sister, Mitsuki.”

“Do you think we’d ever have met each other if it wasn’t for the old man? Your cosplay and doujinbo...”

“Doujinshi,” said Yumeria.

“That. Our circles never cross with each other. You have this infectious energy that I’ve been missing in my life, and I can say that by now, I consider you a friend. Not the kind of friend I’d want to tell my other friends about, but my secret Aoi friend. Maybe we can go see her movie when it comes out. Together,” she said.

“I understand what you’re saying, Mitsuki,” replied the catgirl. “The business world is so stiff, you know? I’ve been wanting to get a job in a cosplay cafe, but they keep turning me down. I’ve wanted to sing and dnyance too. Like in the Go-Busters ending,” she grabbed Mitsuki’s shoulders. “Maybe we could find somewhere like that!”

Less than a block away was exactly a place like that. The idol music house Supernova. The window beside the main door was broken. Yumeria walked in, and was immediately pulled away by the staff.

A woman with frazzled black hair, dressed in a pink nurse’s outfit, looked Yumeria straight in the eye. “You have to work here! Just for tonight! We’re severely understaffed!” she said in a manic voice. “I’m Suzu Fujimi.”


	4. The Goddess and the Gambler

Mitsuki heard footsteps. Two figures, one sporting a massive green afro and the other a large red pompadour, said they wanted to speak with her. They were panting heavily, and sweating. From the direction they were looking, Mitsuki figured they were heading towards the shrine.

“I don’t know who you are,” Mitsuki said, taking up a fighting stance she had learned from Niibori, “but I’m ready for a fight.”

“That’s good,” said the one with the pompadour, smashing his fist into his palm. Tears streamed from his eyes. “We have no idea where the boss went, so can you take her place for tonight? We barely survived the fight with Noko.”

“Huh?” asked Mitsuki, arching her eyebrow.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” said the one with the pompadour. “Name’s Miso, one of the infamous Momonosekku gang.”

“The name’s Crasher Bu!” said the one with the afro. “We saw on the TV that the boss has become one of those... Akibaranger things. We didn’t know she had it in her. You look like you’ve got guts, so if you can serve as acting boss...”

“We might even net you a permanent spot once this madness clears up,” said Miso. “What do you say?” he held up the purple jacket and purple pants that defined the gang. Mitsuki thought it was a little tacky.

“Do I get to beat up people?” she asked.

“You get to help people. We’re not that bad,” said Miso.

“Then we get to beat them up,” said Bu.

Mitsuki threw the Momonosekku colors over her school uniform. The loud purple clashed with the otherwise subdued blue of her school uniform, and her normal hair made her the odd one out compared to Miso and Bu’s garish colors. She had that look of determination in her eye that made Miso and Bu simply not care.

“Can you drive?” asked Miso.

“I don’t have a license! Yumeria’s the one who pilots Itasshar,” said Mitsuki.

“Then can you run?” asked Bu.

“What’s going on?” said Mitsuki, flustered.

“Remember that fight we mentioned a while ago? One of our friends is in serious danger. We need to get a bullet for Axanael to help save her life. If only we knew where Axanael was,” said Miso. “The boss had it last time we knew, but then you guys showed up.”

A terrible thought entered Mitsuki’s head. “This world’s in the middle of a crisis. What did the old man’s delusions do now? I don’t want to see any Akihabara go down in flames... even a 2D one like this.”

* * *

Back in Supernova, Yumeria had already set her cat girl outfit aside. In its place, she had donned a pirate outfit, primarily yellow, that had been lying around in the back closet. “Ahoy, Captain Suzu! Where be the customers I’m serving tonight?” she said, getting in character.

“Do whatever you can to keep these people calm. Everyone’s rattled after the catastrophe that happened downtown. That’s the second earthquake tonight,” said Suzu. “I do like the pirate outfit, it looks cute on you. What did you say your name was?”

“Helmsman Yumeria Moegi, captain!” she replied. “At your service.”

“This is going to sound like an odd question, but can you play an instrument?” asked Suzu. “Soniko and Fuuri have gone missing, and if the band ever does get to play its concert tonight, I want us to sound like we’ve practiced.”

“Yumeria has some sailing experience with the mighty keyboard,” said Yumeria. “I can tickle the ivories in such a way that the blacks and the whites tremble like they’re down in Davy Jones’ locker.”

“Wow, you’re really into the role,” said Suzu. “That’s great. Let me get one of our song sheets from the back. I want to see what you can do.”

Yumeria set herself up with a lap keyboard inside Supernova. She lowered the microphone to her level, and tapped against it. Noise echoed throughout the club, resounding out into the already noisy streets.

“Well, shiver me timbers,” Yumeria said. “Please, stay calm, everyone. We can ride this storm out, so raise your masts high and join me in drinking a bottle of New Years’ rum. This is helmsman Yumeria’s musical audition for First Intergalactic Velocity. A one, and a two...”

Yumeria’s skills were decent at best. She could carry a tune, but she couldn’t carry it consistently. Every few moments she had to stop to check the next note. The dim lighting and chaotic atmosphere of Supernova did little to help. This led to long pauses in the music, where the audience looked up questioningly at Yumeria.

As Yumeria was lounging around with her keyboard, Suzu got a call on her phone. It was coming to her directly from one of the MMZs. The caller ID said that it was coming from Yumeria, even while she was sitting right there. Ena’s voice came out the other end.

“Suzu, have you seen us?” said Ena. “I knew the big tanuki showed up, but I’m fighting with Sakura and Nitori right now.”

“What?” asked Suzu. “That’s dangerous!”

“It’s even more dangerous if we let him rampage. My shots aren’t doing much good to hold him off, and Noko’s trying her best. These powers are incredible! I feel like my body’s much more mobile! Also, bustier!” said Ena.

“Yumeria, explain to me what’s going on!” said Suzu. “Nobody can make heads or tails of tonight, so I want you to start confessing.”

“Those powers, originally they be Yumeria’s,” she said, leaning on her stool, “To think that they would fall into the hands of another worthy warrior. All I wish is that I somehow regain them by tonight, or I won’t be able to go back to my own world.”

“I’m not even sure you’re in this world,” said Suzu nervously.

Suzu’s father, Heiji Fujimi appeared beside them moments later. “We need all the help we can get to deal with that tanuki. Suzu, you’re coming with me. Make sure you bring your little pirate friend along, too. The more the better.”

“Yumeria has seen a lot of burly men passing by tonight, but none with beards as majestic as yours, Sir Heiji,” said Yumeria.

* * *

Mizuha was finally back at the shrine. The goddess in the body of a little girl had gotten out of the shrine on the same night Axanael was released to the world. She had made friends with everybody, especially Fuuri. Right now, along with her protector, Sei, she sat in the shrine preparing for the worst.

Miso and Bu barged into the shrine, with Mitsuki in tow. They ran up to Mizuha’s seat, breaking through the crowds with an uneven acceleration. Mitsuki used this as her chance to shove people aside.

“Who is this newcomer thou hadst brought into the shrine? I don’t have time for more introductions, not when everything is going on!” said Mizuha.

“Momonosekku’s fourth member?” asked Sei.

“Mitsuki Aoyagi. What’s going on?” asked Mitsuki.

“That’s what I’d like to know!” said a voice from the back of the crowds. “Mitsuki, what’s going on? I leave you for a few minutes and you’ve already joined a biker gang? I guess it’s what I’d expect from you, but those colors just don’t look right. Who do you think you are, Akiba Violet?”

“Old man?” said Mitsuki, turning around.

“Oh, you know this guy? He looks like the kind of person who comes to mind when you hear ‘Akihabara’,” said Miso.

“Sasaki... Ponpoko... Delivery?” said Bu, examining his jacket. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Tanuki are the last thing I want to be thinking about right now.”

“What are you doing here?” said Mitsuki. “I thought we were splitting up.”

“I came here because of the hearsay around town,” Nobuo said, “Are any of you looking for this, by any chance?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver. The crowd gasped and backed away. Nobuo stuffed the gun back into his pocket, immediately realizing that wasn’t such a good idea.

“That’s Axanael!” Sei said.

“I thought it was with Sakura,” said Mizuha. “How did an outsider like you get your hands on it?”

Nobuo asked her if she had seen any green lights in the sky, moments before the giant tanuki appeared. Mizuha recounted seeing three shooting stars, made of Enetron, land on the outskirts of town. Nobuo knew that had been them.

“Shimokura Bio Particles require something in the universe to be a constant. Even if we’re not the Akibaranger, we have something other than our dreams right here! I’ve heard that this is what can get us back home!” Nobuo said, looking at Axanael’s trigger. “So, how does it work?”

“The Kagome Game,” said Sei. “Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

“Let us save Fuuri first,” insisted Mizuha.

“Somebody tell me what’s going on here!” Mitsuki and Nobuo said at the same time.

“Come, closer,” said Mizuha, inviting Mitsuki and Nobuo into her chamber. “Miso, Bu, you come too. It looks like we can add a few more friends and benefactors to tonight’s events.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” the delinquents replied.

Nobuo felt an overwhelming presence when he walked into Mizuha’s room. This girl wasn’t lying about her credentials. There was an aura of magic permeating the air around her. Axanael seemed magnetized towards the shrine. This was the place it wanted to return to. Nobuo gripped the gun strongly in his hand. Mizuha turned around.

“It was developed in Akihabara long ago, the gun Axanael. It can grant whatever wish you desire, five times out of six,” said Mizuha.

“That’s much better than I expected,” Nobuo said. “What happens the other one time?”

“You die,” said Sei bluntly.

“That’s not a wish granting gun. That’s Russian Roulette,” said Mitsuki.

“It’s already been used several times tonight. It can turn delusions into reality,” said Mizuha, “I’ve never seen you around here, but I have the feeling you’re familiar with that. Have you encountered any purple portals lately?”

Nobuo and Mitsuki were confused.

“I hope they never appear,” said Mizuha. “Noko’s relatively harmless, but if something worse were to get out, the world would be in trouble. The effects of this gun can generate things like that,” said Mizuha.

“Like Shimokura Bio Particles,” Nobuo mused. “So, you’re saying this gun can get us out of here? Back to the Akihabara we know?”

“It’s certainly possible, but we have to heal Fuuri first,” said Mizuha. “You don’t know her, but this is a very urgent matter. That’s why the tanuki is stomping around Akiba in the first place!”

“Axanael will always be here! You plan on sealing it up again anyway. But we might only get one chance to go back home,” said Nobuo.

“Are you going to hand it over or not?” asked Miso. “The boss explicitly told us to get a bullet from Mizuha. If you keep holding onto that gun, we might beat you up.”

Miso and Bu threw a double set of punches in Nobuo’s direction. Mitsuki dived in front of the two, absorbing their blows with her fists. “We’re on the same side in this case. A hero helps another person in need before himself. Isn’t that right, old man?”

“Without Aoi, I feel lost,” Nobuo said, sliding into the orz position.

* * *

Back at the scene of the battle, Nitori and Sakura had taken the fight to the ground level. They were running up the stairs of a nearby building in an attempt to reach the roof. Kanta slammed his foot through the building. Nitori and Sakura were directly beneath him, and would’ve gotten smashed otherwise. That would not be the case this time. Their Akibaranger powers were strong enough to repel his foot, merely shoving them into the wall instead.

“Normal Attack (TBD)!” Nitori shouted. The MMZ-01 fired a blast of red energy towards the tanuki. Its skin was aggravated by the burst. He aimed for the sensitive underside of its feet. The creature’s leg started twitching.

“So this is an actual gun?” asked Sakura. “What the heck’s it run on?”

“Delusion power,” said Hiroyo’s voice through the other end.

“Who is this?” said Sakura into the gun’s communication line.

“Aoyagi, if the battle’s getting too tough, you can always call on one of your Ridiculous Powers. That’s what they’re there for,” Hiroyo pouted.

Sakura wasn’t sure what she was supposed to visualize for Ridiculous Power. She thought of everything the term would mean. A faint outline of a shovel materialized in her hand, taking the form of the Bouken Shovel. She slammed the large blue digging tool into the ground, propping up the tanuki’s foot.

“What’s with the compass on top?” asked Sakura.

“Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade,” said Nitori, struggling against the weight of the tanuki’s foot. “This ground level battling is impossible. If I wanted to really fight, I’d find some way to fly. Like Noko. I want to spread my wings and fly, in this starry sky!”

A triangular backpack, with a bird symbol emblazoned on it, sprouted a magnificent pair of wings in five colors. Nitori pushed himself away from the tanuki’s foot and jumped out of a nearby window. He released his arms from the wing pack. It stayed connected to his back, freeing up his arms for the MMZ.

“These powers are amazing!” he exclaimed.

“Akagi, is that you?” said Hiroyo, “I suppose the Akibaranger powers weren’t coded for anyone in particular. You certainly sound like him.”

Nitori fired an aerial barrage of shots from his MMZ. The tanuki opened its mouth and let out a loud roar. Nitori fell into a dive, momentarily tightening the wingspan of the Jetman Ridiculous Power. He swooped past the tanuki’s jaw, slicing through its thick skin with the edges of his bird-like form.

Ena was running around the opposite side of the tanuki’s body. She hadn’t had exposure to guns. Her dad was a traditional policeman, and relied on his jutte and rope for solving all cases. She decided to use the MMZ as a blunt instrument. The plastic exterior of the gun didn’t do much damage to the tanuki. Its fur alone was enough to shield it from the relative tininess of Ena’s artillery.

She fell back for a moment and caught her breath. “What would Suzu do in this situation?” she thought. “There’s not much space here, but if I can get up on that rubble...” A detective always analyzed his surroundings, and knew how to hold his own. Ena tucked the MMZ away, and charged towards a wall.

“Baritsu Drop Kick!” she shouted.

Ena bounded off the wall and thrust out both of her legs. She collided with the tanuki’s knee, knocking it closer to Nitori. Far away, Suzu, who had been observing the fight since it began, sneezed.

“That’s my sister,” she said.

“She’s plundered me powers,” said Yumeria behind them. The girl in yellow adjusted the stuffed parrot on her shoulder. Heiji and Suzu said nothing, continuing to run towards a nearby slope.

* * *

A man in a black suit, with dyed blonde hair, wearing sunglasses even though it was night, approached the shrine. The crowds backed away in his presence. His name was Sugoroku Kawaraya, the current chief of the Kawaraya Group. He had accosted Nitori earlier in the evening, forcing him to pay off his gambling debts. That was not the only connection he had to the string of events.

Nobuo was unaware of this. It wasn’t until Sugoroku was right in his face that Nobuo had any reaction at all. The loan shark’s glasses alone got Nobuo to snap out of his funk. He reached behind his back for his MMZ. Axanael’s trigger was pointed at his foot. He swung it around before clanging the gun into his forehead.

“It’s not even loaded,” said Sugoroku. “I already dealt with one otaku tonight. You look like an interesting challenge. Word on the street is that the powers Nitori has once belonged to you, yes?”

Nobuo stood still.

“I want to see if you have what it takes to be a hero, kid,” he tossed Nobuo one of the bullets, and told him to load it in Axanael. Nobuo did as the intimidating man with the shades commanded him. “It’s not all fighting monsters and making cool explosions. You have to take risks, and delusions aren’t in play. If that thing shoots you, you will die.

“So, what are you going to do? Spin the wheel, and take a chance at getting back to your own world? Or adjust to this new Akihabara’s way of life and let us get back to our business? You and your friend are interfering in things that have nothing to do with you,” he said.

“Old man...” Mitsuki intoned.

“Nobuo!” shouted Mizuha. “Don’t worry, I’m a goddess of fortune! As long as you stay close to me, I can make sure your wish comes true. That’s my role.”

“You’d help this pathetic man?” asked Sei.

“It’s my sworn duty,” said Mizuha.

“I’ll, I’ll...” Nobuo shook, holding the cold iron revolver to his head. “I’ll find a better way! There has to be a better way than this!” Nobuo ran away from the shrine, waving Axanael over his head like a madman. He ran past Yumeria and the Fujimi family.

Yumeria pointed her cutlass at the madman. Heiji pulled back his jutte, but Yumeria interjected with her blade. “Stop where ye stand, officer!” she growled, “That man is my captain, whom I would walk the plank for. It’s advised that ye don’t hurt him.”

Nobuo arrived in another part of Akiba.

This part of Akihabara was home to the maid cafe May Queen, an old shop selling CRT TVs, and a tone that was more washed out and grainy than the bright, bold Akihabara he had just left. The faint aura of Enetron surrounded his body as he passed a street sign. Axanael’s metal became colder.

There was only one light on in this part of town.


	5. Navi;Gate

Axanael’s cold metal frame shook between Nobuo’s fingers. Momonosekku was on his tail, and if he stopped for even a moment too long, he would be in a situation where he couldn’t fight back. Without his Akibaranger powers, he felt cold and disoriented. The TVs across the city continued playing Nitori’s battle. The giant tanuki had rolled itself up into a ball of furry flesh, shielding itself in its sack.

“Where am I?” Nobuo asked, looking up at the part of Akiba he had wandered into. The coloration on his 2D form looked slightly different, as if the world had taken on a different palette. Even his bright red jacket looked washed out.

* * *

Mitsuki and Yumeria crossed paths in the middle of Akihabara. They each cocked their head at the other, baffled by the choice of outfits they had donned. Yumeria got close to Mitsuki. “Ye look as good as a handful of gold dubloons in that outfit, matey. You supposed to be some sort of brawler from the shore?”

“We won’t have you talk to our temporary boss that way!” said Miso, barely breathing between words. “Do you know her?”

“Wait, wait, Miso,” Bu interrupted. “This girl is giving me the same feeling as our temporary boss. Like she’s not from around here. The air feels warmer around them, and thicker. The pirate girl is really cute. How old are you?”

“Arr, I be 23,” replied Yumeria.

“Way too old!” said Bu. “Are you looking for Axanael, too?”

“I was just dragged along by the tides. Suzu and the captain of the police, his scraggly beard shining beneath the lights, left me behind. They were runnin’ for the hills. Something about stopping the tanuki that way,” said Yumeria.

“I don’t know anything about a tanuki, but the old man has Axanael!” said Mitsuki.

“Axanawhat?” asked Yumeria.

“The gun that grants wishes,” Mitsuki said, “He says he wants to use it to go back to our world, but his delusions are simply too strong. This... 2D world is what an otaku wants to live in, isn’t it? He might make Aoi real, or take us even deeper into the delusion. Someone else should use it.”

“We’re trying to get it to the boss,” said Miso. “Where’d that guy in the red jacket go, anyway? We saw him run down this street, but then he sort of disappeared. There’s nothing over here but some abandoned buildings.”

“What do you mean, 2D?” asked Bu, his giant, lime green afro shaking, “If this was 2D, we’d look ridiculous! Even if girls are popping into reality all over the place, that’s because it’s New Years’. This is reality. I don’t know what you consider reality, but this is the only world we’ve got.”

Yumeria extended her hand beyond the street sign. She saw it momentarily fade out. The image of the street on the other side flickered. Yumeria stretched her finger back and touched the glowing wall of energy that separated the two sides of the road. She pulled her finger back and licked it.

“Shimokura Bio Particles,” she said, “The scent of delusions. I think Nobu may have passed into another 2D realm.”

“Stop calling us 2D!” said Miso.

* * *

Nobuo’s eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. The lights were few in this area. Most people in Akihabara were closer to the center of town, where the sights and sounds were more stimulating. If people were staying home, it was because they wanted some intimacy, or were hosting their own parties with events that the big TV producers couldn’t match.

The former Akiba Red was able to make out a dim silhouette in the shadows. Nobuo was certain it was a girl. She had short, reddish, wild hair. Her golden eyes pierced him through the darkness, like a cat. Nobuo stood still, with only the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat accompanying him. Every footstep made it seem like he might get noticed by this lone girl.

“Wait, I’ve seen this kind of situation before,” Nobuo whispered, “A victim wanders the streets alone, and a monster always attacks. That’s my cue to spring into action and fight it off without my suit! My powers, recognizing me as a hero, will automatically return to me and let me finish the job I started. It always works!”

Nobuo ran through the streets screaming and jumped in front of the girl’s back. He held his arms to his side, and struck a fighting stance reminscient of Magi Red. “Don’t worry, miss, I’ll protect you. The streets are dangerous at this time of night.”

“What’s dangerous?” asked the girl in a distinct, airy, but not high pitched voice. “I’m just going to a party with my boyfriend.”

Nobuo immediately lost his fighting spirit. “Sayaka! When are you going to answer my calls?” he turned around. “Sorry about that. Nobuo Akagi, who are you?”

“Yuki Amane,” she responded. “Do you want to come to the party? Daru probably wouldn’t mind if I invited someone else.”

Nobuo immediately prostrated himself before Yuki. “This is going to be an odd request, but can you try to talk like a parrot?”

“I don’t know what that has to do with anything...” Yuki replied. She flipped open her cell phone and checked the clock. There was still time before the party began. She could indulge this man in his fantasies for a little while longer. “Let’s treasure navigation!” she said.

Suzu stepped back and nearly hit her head against a nearby street light. Nobuo extended his arm and looked Yuki straight in the eye. “Yes! I knew it!” he said, “That’s the same voice I knew from Gokaiger! Yukari Tamura! It’s an honor to meet another one of your characters! You have to take me to this party. If my guess is correct...”

“Who’s Yukari Tamura?” asked Yuki.

“That’s not important right now,” Nobuo said, “You have to take me to this party!”

Yuki laughed politely. Nobuo may have been older than her, and a little creepy at first glance, but was proving himself to be harmless. “Okabe is looking for more members. Mayuri asked me to stop by May Queen and pick up some Dr. Pepper. You can come along with me if you like.”

“A gentlemen always helps a lady carry her bags!” said Nobuo, putting his hand to his chest. “Great men like Don Dogoier have walked this path.”

“You’re a real funny fellow,” said Yuki.

Neither Yuki nor Nobuo was fully aware of the history their destination held. The Future Gadget Laboratory, an unofficial name for an unofficial organization, had played a part in making sure this version of Akihabara was still there. It had unintentionally been destroyed in the present and the future before they saved it.

After enduring a long summer, time moved on as it should, and things began to change for the members of the Future Gadget Lab. All but the eighth member had made sure to reconvene for this New Years’ celebration, and she was there in spirit. Nobuo vaguely remembered the name of this anime, but it was less of a priority than Z-Cune Aoi when it was on the air.

Yuki and Nobuo stopped in front of May Queen. A piece of paper had been stuck to the front of the door, informing any potential customers that they were closed for New Years’. Two of its most prominent employees were already attending a party with their friends. A second note was taped beneath the first, informing Yuki that the party goods were tucked away in a mini fridge on the side of the shop.

Nobuo hauled the two large bottles of Dr. Pepper across the streets while Yuki carried the much lighter bag of snacks, including a few bananas.

“I was hoping Rumi would be there,” said Yuki. “She’s always so fun to talk to.”

“Rumiho Akiha,” said Yuki. “Haven’t you heard of that name?”

Yuki and Nobuo arrived at the CRT TV shop. Even when the shop’s wares were turned off, their screens faintly flickered with light and static electricity. The curtains on the upstairs loft had been thrown open. Music and laughter flowed through the windows onto the streets below. Nobuo reminisced the drunken karaoke party he had held with Hiroyo. He wasn’t sure what he was nostalgic for, since his memories were shrouded in a hazy veil, but it had made for an exciting delusional battle.

Yuki knocked at the door. “Darling, it’s me,” she said.

“Hmph, darling. How sappy,” Nobuo said. “Sayaka and I wouldn’t be all sweet and doting like that.”

“Who dares enter the most fantastic New Years’ party of Akihabara’s mad scientist?” bellowed a voice from the other side of the door.

“Is that your boyfriend?” asked Nobuo, feeling a little jealous of his hamminess.

“That’s just Okabe. My darling is waiting for me. Do you have the Dr. Pepper? Okabe would get on our case if we forgot that,” said Yuki.

“Right here,” said Nobuo, bending down to pick up the bubbling, fizzy drink.

Yuki opened the door and walked up the steps. The silence of the outside world was gradually replaced with the karaoke version of a Kanako Itou song. A short girl with a sweet voice was singing along with the song, stumbling over the English portions. Her score appeared on screen when Nobuo entered the room.

“Yuki!” said the short, black-haired girl. “You didn’t tell Mayushii you were bringing guests.”

“Who’s the straggler? The Future Gadget Lab is top secret, and if anybody escapes here with our secrets, we’ll track him down!” said a taller man. He spoke into his cell phone, not even bothering to turn it on. “He’s clearly a spy from the organization. I’ll have to investigate this further.”

The taller man was dressed casually, with the exception of his lab coat. His hair was messy, and he had a bit of stubble. He looked about Nobuo’s age, despite being several years younger. Nobuo shot the taller man a glare. The lab coated fellow glared right back. Mayuri stepped between them.

“Okarin, this is one of Yuki’s friends. He looks like a friendly person,” she said.

“Let me guess, you found him on the streets and he liked your voice,” said a pudgy man sitting at the computer. He was wearing a baseball cap. “I can totally understand why, lol. Does he think your boyfriend’s Okarin?”

“Who are you?” asked Nobuo confusedly.

“Itaru Hashida, my darling,” said Yuki, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Re-really?” Nobuo said. “I’m Nobuo Akagi, Akiba Red. I came here because Amane made it sound like you would have a way for me to get home. I come from...”

“You come from another world line, cast aside by an explosion of interdimensional particles, trapping you in a land where it seems like fate itself is conspiring against you!” said Okabe, gesturing wildly. “Akiba Red. You have to be part of some secret organization. The great Mad Scientist Kyouma Hououin won’t allow such trickery to get past his ears!”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from!” said Nobuo.

“We still have the divergence meter if you want to confirm things,” said Itaru, pulling something out of storage. It was a box with a series of cylindrical glass tubes set atop it, each one displaying a different digit.

Okabe folded his arms. “Just what I’d expect from our Super Haker.”

“Hacker,” Itaru corrected him.

“Also that,” said Okabe.

Nobuo approached the divergence meter. He took Axanael out of his pocket and set it beside the device. The numbers began to scroll, ending up jumping a full decimal place to 1.101712. Itaru took the gun away, and the numbers instantly reset to what they were before.

“What does it mean when it does that?” Mayushii asked.

“There are an infinite number of world lines,” said Okabe, suddenly taking on a serious tone, “I’ve never seen it jump up that high. That can only mean this gun comes from a world completely different from our own. A world where we don’t even exist. Akagi, I want you to place your hand directly on the divergence meter.”

Nobuo touched the edge of the divergence meter. The glass tubes heated up. Nobuo removed his hand before his gloves were burnt, frantically blowing on it. The numbers stopped rolling at 3.120406.

“You are still from Akihabara?” asked Okabe.

“Just not the one you know,” said Nobuo. “When I touched my hand to that divergence somethingorother, I finally figured it out. Yuki, Super Haker, I may not know you, but I recognize your voices. These are the voices that guided the Gokaiger on their quest to gain the Great Powers of the other official heroes.

“All official heroes have something that helps them win. Their theme music. I don’t know if I have enough Delusion Power to twist reality like that, so I’m going to need all the help I can get. That karaoke machine can make the laws of the universe bend in our favor, and almost ensure Axanael grants my wish,” said Nobuo.

Okabe did not look amused. “How are you still listening to this guy?”

“He sounds a lot like you,” said Mayuri.

“I do not sound a lot like him!” said Okabe and Nobuo at the same time.

“Coming in!” said a voice behind the two. Nobuo turned around and saw a girl with long, pink hair braided into twin spirals. She had a cute, high-pitched voice. She set a cake, decorated with May Queen’s logo, on the table.

“Rumi!” said Yuki. “Darling, get a picture of us!”

Itaru snapped a photo of Yuki and this new girl on his cell phone. “Rumi, this is Akagi. He thinks he’s a defender of Akiba.”

Nobuo realized for the first time that Rumi had been wearing cat ears the entire time she was here. “Faris totally nyanderstands,” she said. “A pleasure to meet you, Akagi.” She extended her arm, and shook his hand. Nobuo felt something in his gut. It was the same thing he felt the day the Akibaranger assembled, and he saw Yumeria.

“I thought you said her name was Rumi,” said Nobuo, continuing to shake her hand.

“What are you talking about? Faris Nyan Nyan’s nyame is Faris,” she answered. “Someone’s name isn’t always their name.”

He’d heard her voice before. During the most crucial moments of his life, that voice had been providing a rhythm to his punches and kicks, and the firing of the MMZ. Nobuo lifted his hand, still attached to Faris’, into the air and let out a shout. “It’s Faris time!” he roared.

“Akagi, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

“Of course! That’s what the Gokaiger had, and what we have! A hero’s chance of victory is one hundred percent when their theme music is playing in the background!” Nobuo reached into his pocket. What was once an empty pocket was given content through the power of delusions. A CD with a blue jacket depicting Aoi Ichikawa was the first thing he produced.

“‘Heroic lily’?” asked Mayuri.

“Not what I was hoping for,” said Nobuo. He produced a second CD, with a crowded cover showing himself and his friends in their heroic attire. “It’s a limited edition cover. Track three on this one is what you’re looking for. Miss Nyan Nyan, I have no other way to say this, but you were born to sing this song!”

Yuki was sitting on the couch, silently observing the events with a smile on her face.

Nobuo stopped jumping around and leaned his hand on the lab’s microwave, which lacked a door for some reason. “There’s one problem. Our theme song is meant to be a duet. We need someone to stand in for Yukio Yamagata. Someone with a deep, commanding voice who can really shout while they sing.”

He looked away from Okabe. The so-called mad scientist had intentionally been giving him a smug grin.

“Is Mr. Braun currently in?” Nobuo asked.

Okabe spat out his Dr. Pepper. “Of course he isn’t in! He’s spending New Years’ with his daughter! If you’re looking for someone to sing, I’m right here! I can do it better than Daru, too! Watch! _By chance, I’ve chosen this impenetrable new gate~_ That good enough for ya?”

Nobuo placed his foot on the couch arm. “It’ll have to do. Faris, Mad Scientist, I’m counting on you to make this happen. I’m going to need your help, too, Super Haker. Your voice is giving me the same feeling as your girlfriend’s.”

Itaru teased Okabe. “My voice gets all the babes. Fail for you. Is there something about my voice that’ll change the world line?”

Nobuo ponderously raised his head. “No. I just want this to sound cool.”

Kurisu Makise opened the door. Nobuo was toasting himself, his foot still on the couch, while Okabe and Faris huddled around the karaoke machine. Her ambivalent expression and Okabe’s awkward smile caused Mayuri and Yuki to break out into stifled laughter. This New Years’ party was turning out better than they had planned.

* * *

Mitsuki and Yumeria pierced through the barrier. Mitsuki could see Miso and Bu on the other side, but they couldn’t see her. The only other person capable of detecting this kind of barrier was Noko. The ex-delusion girl had spotted the green barrier while searching for Fuuri from the air. She returned to the scene of the battle to inform Nitori.

The separation of guns from their owners and the shrine had caused a greater rift in the world than anticipated. If either Axanael or the MMZs left Akihabara in this state, the city might not live to see the New Year.

* * *

Yumeria sniffed the air when she entered. A light rain and the faint aroma of booze filled the streets.

“Are we still in 2D? This doesn’t look the same as the other place,” said Mitsuki.

“I’m glad we set port here. I sense there be a treasure. A treasure of boys’ love. We must follow the map to our next destination, for that is where Captain Nobuo awaits us! Something big is on the horizon,” said Yumeria.

Ruka Urushibara, several blocks away, suddenly sneezed.


	6. The Song That Starts the World (Bad End)

One hour to midnight. The tanuki had resisted every attack from the new Akibaranger team. Nitori, Sakura and Ena felt energy in their respective colors swirling around them. The MMZs fell to the ground with a dull thud.

“We’re going to need a miracle,” said Nitori.

“Miracle? We don’t need any miracles, we can do this on our own!” Sakura said, picking up Katsuobushi. “Miso, Bu, where are you, punks?”

“It’s not too late to save Fuuri, isn’t it?” said Ena, collapsing onto a railing. Her jacket was covered in dirt, and her body was bruised.

* * *

On the other side of the barrier, a miniature stage had been set up above the Future Gadget Lab. A set of modified speakers and the karaoke machines, both connected to the inside of the lab by long cables, faced the streets below. Faris and Okabe stood side by side, checking their microphones. Feedback warbled across the night sky.

Nobuo had gotten into his best producer mode. He held his hands up like a camera lens, checking Faris and Okabe’s position in a nonexistent frame. “You’re looking good,” he shifted his hand lens over to Itaru. “Hashida! Why aren’t you wearing the alpaca?”

“What does the alpaca have to do with anything?” asked Itaru, taking out a necklace. A painted miniature mold of the four legged furry creature dangled on the end.

“It’s part of the scene!” Nobuo said.

“Akagi-P!” Faris said, “I haven’t really memorized the lyrics.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Nobuo said coolly, “The lyrics will appear at the bottom of the frame when the music begins. Our show is aimed at a young... ish audience, so inviting kids and nerds to sing along is welcomed. It makes it so much easier for them to post it on Nico Nico Video.”

“Okay!” said Faris happily.

Nobuo gripped Axanael in his hands. He pulled down the trigger and loaded a single bullet into the revolver. Sugoroku and Mizuha’s words resonated in his head. Nobuo closed his eyes and spun the cylinder. It clicked to a stop. Nobuo tried to think of the safest place on his body to hold it, just in case the bullet was waiting for him.

“Anywhere near the head is too dangerous,” he said, shifting the gun downward, “the chest isn’t going to work either. Maybe I should point it at my ass. Would the gun allow me to do that?”

“Why are you pointing a gun butt at your butt?” asked Itaru. “Weirdo.”

“I’m doing this to ensure my own safety,” Nobuo said. “If this works, I might be able to get back. I can’t thank you guys enough for all the help, even if I can’t remember what game you came from. The 2D world is so much better than my own.”

“Who are you calling 2D?” asked Kurisu. “Ju-just because we’re odd, that doesn’t mean we’re not real.”

Nobuo pressed the play button on the karaoke machine. The chiptune beat of the Akibaranger theme song kicked in. Lyrics, in pink and yellow, instantly appeared just out of Faris and Okabe’s line of vision. She titled her head to catch the words before they disappeared. Nobuo’s mind was put at ease from a song he knew all too well.

_A burning gaze stirs the air  
Does the planet’s voice tremble with fear?  
Looks like it’s the beginning of a heroic adventure  
They’re not afraid of being hurt or killed  
When it’s time to shoot down the hated enemy  
Brace for spectacular failure,  
and throw yourself into a crimson inferno!_

Nobuo held Axanael against his foot. The cold metal of the gun clicked against shoe. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. The beating of his heart drowned out his theme music in the background. He could see Mayuri clapping along with the song out of the corner of his eye, and trying to get Kurisu to join in.

_The mysterious heroes of Electric Town!  
(We are Akibaranger!)  
Trigger the flag for victory!_

Okabe let out a load roar. This was the part of the song where he joined in. He sung with all his breath, nearly drowning out Faris in the process. Nobuo was snapped back to his senses. His finger slid into Axanael’s trigger.

_A! A! Ah, that was close...  
Ki! Ki! Take your keyboard and...  
Ba! Ba! Bash into it as you crash asleep and drool everywhere!  
A! A! Already mad about hateful posts  
Ki! Ki! Keeping me so tense that  
Ba! Ba! It feels like I’m going to barf soon!_

_We may sing toku karaoke alone  
but we can really belt it out!  
Wait, you-LOL  
Stop-LOL-here comes the staff-LOLOL  
Don’t come in here now! LOL  
Akibaranger! The Unofficial Sentai_

Nobuo pulled the trigger on Axanael. The barrel clicked. He closed his eyes, and waited for the results. 

Unfortunately, the chamber pointed at Nobuo had a bullet in it. The tiny piece of metal pierced through his stomach, and a massive amount of blood seeped through his clothes. Okabe freaked out, and tried to hide the sight from Mayuri. He raced back into the labs to get some bandages. Memories of what had happened during that summer came back to him. He didn’t want to lose anyone, even if it was someone he didn’t like.

Nobuo passed away moments later. Axanael was a magical gun, and if it failed, it meant instant death for those who used it. Mitsuki and Yumeria found the Future Gadget Labs, but it was too late. The Akibaranger mourned the loss of their leader. They had lost a charismatic person and a fount of Sentai knowledge.

Back in the Akibaranger’s world, Nobuo’s body lost its pulse and all signs of consciousness. Yumeria and Mitsuki remained alive, but stayed in the 2D world for the rest of the day. Time flowed differently between the two worlds. While Fuuri was able to be saved thanks to Axanael, Mitsuki and Yumeria felt they had to repent. They joined Momonosekku and First Intergalactic Velocity permanently, and wandered the countryside of Japan for many years.

Yumeria stayed with the band for as long as she could, but eventually became a full time office lady in the world of Axanael. Mitsuki, training under Sakura’s tutelage, became her junior officer in the gang. She continued to do good in the world, but whenever she came across a movie studio, she always felt a pang of regret. Eventually, Yumeria and Mitsuki would wake up back in their world. Their personalities had changed. They knew what happened to Nobuo, and asked Hiroyo to be careful in selecting a replacement Red.

Though the Akibaranger did find a new Red, the team didn’t have the same chemistry it had before. Their show was cancelled after eight episodes, ending on an ambiguous cliffhanger where the Guerilla Marketing group might take over the city, but there was a slim chance the heroes could win. It remained a mystery in many fans’ minds, wondering what circumstances had caused their leader to suddenly quit.

Some say it was because he was fed up with work, others say it was because he had been struck by a mysterious illness. Akibaranger would have a legacy where its behind the scenes problems became more famous than the show’s actual content. Fujiwara never made it out of traffic until it was too late.

**BAD END**


	7. The Song That Starts the World (True End)

One hour to midnight. The tanuki had resisted every attack from the new Akibaranger team. Nitori, Sakura and Ena felt energy in their respective colors swirling around them. The MMZs fell to the ground with a dull thud.

“We’re going to need a miracle,” said Nitori.

“Miracle? We don’t need any miracles, we can do this on our own!” Sakura said, picking up Katsuobushi. “Miso, Bu, where are you, punks?”

“It’s not too late to save Fuuri, isn’t it?” said Ena, collapsing onto a railing. Her jacket was covered in dirt, and her body was bruised.

* * *

On the other side of the barrier, a miniature stage had been set up above the Future Gadget Lab. A set of modified speakers and the karaoke machines, both connected to the inside of the lab by long cables, faced the streets below. Faris and Okabe stood side by side, checking their microphones. Feedback warbled across the night sky.

Nobuo had gotten into his best producer mode. He held his hands up like a camera lens, checking Faris and Okabe’s position in a nonexistent frame. “You’re looking good,” he shifted his hand lens over to Itaru. “Hashida! Why aren’t you wearing the alpaca?”

“What does the alpaca have to do with anything?” asked Itaru, taking out a necklace. A painted miniature mold of the four legged furry creature dangled on the end.

“It’s part of the scene!” Nobuo said.

“Akagi-P!” Faris said, “I haven’t really memorized the lyrics.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Nobuo said coolly, “The lyrics will appear at the bottom of the frame when the music begins. Our show is aimed at a young... ish audience, so inviting kids and nerds to sing along is welcomed. It makes it so much easier for them to post it on Nico Nico Video.”

“Okay!” said Faris happily.

Nobuo gripped Axanael in his hands. He pulled down the trigger and loaded a single bullet into the revolver. Sugoroku and Mizuha’s words resonated in his head. Nobuo closed his eyes and spun the cylinder. It clicked to a stop. Nobuo tried to think of the safest place on his body to hold it, just in case the bullet was waiting for him.

“Anywhere near the head is too dangerous,” he said, shifting the gun downward, “the chest isn’t going to work either. Maybe I should point it at my ass. Would the gun allow me to do that?”

“Why are you pointing a gun butt at your butt?” asked Itaru. “Weirdo.”

“I’m doing this to ensure my own safety,” Nobuo said. “If this works, I might be able to get back. I can’t thank you guys enough for all the help, even if I can’t remember what game you came from. The 2D world is so much better than my own.”

“Who are you calling 2D?” asked Kurisu. “Ju-just because we’re odd, that doesn’t mean we’re not real.”

Nobuo pressed the play button on the karaoke machine. The chiptune beat of the Akibaranger theme song kicked in. Lyrics, in pink and yellow, instantly appeared just out of Faris and Okabe’s line of vision. She titled her head to catch the words before they disappeared. Nobuo’s mind was put at ease from a song he knew all too well.

_A burning gaze stirs the air  
Does the planet’s voice tremble with fear?  
Looks like it’s the beginning of a heroic adventure  
They’re not afraid of being hurt or killed  
When it’s time to shoot down the hated enemy  
Brace for spectacular failure,  
and throw yourself into a crimson inferno!_

Nobuo held Axanael against his foot. The cold metal of the gun clicked against shoe. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. The beating of his heart drowned out his theme music in the background. He could see Mayuri clapping along with the song out of the corner of his eye, and trying to get Kurisu to join in.

_The mysterious heroes of Electric Town!  
(We are Akibaranger!)  
Trigger the flag for victory!_

Okabe let out a load roar. This was the part of the song where he joined in. He sung with all his breath, nearly drowning out Faris in the process. Nobuo was snapped back to his senses. His finger slid into Axanael’s trigger.

_A! A! Ah, that was close...  
Ki! Ki! Take your keyboard and...  
Ba! Ba! Bash into it as you crash asleep and drool everywhere!  
A! A! Already mad about hateful posts  
Ki! Ki! Keeping me so tense that  
Ba! Ba! It feels like I’m going to barf soon!_

_We may sing toku karaoke alone  
but we can really belt it out!  
Wait, you-LOL  
Stop-LOL-here comes the staff-LOLOL  
Don’t come in here now! LOL  
Akibaranger! The Unofficial Sentai_

Nobuo pulled the trigger on Axanael. The barrel clicked. He closed his eyes, and waited for the results. The gun barrel burst forth with a pure white flash of light. Nobuo concentrated on the wish in his head. “Let us become Akibaranger again and get back home.” The light radiated across the rooftop and beyond the barrier.

It reached the edge of the tanuki’s battlefield. The MMZs were lifted into the air and, as if propelled by a giant magnet, flew across the night sky. Trails of green energy streaked behind them. Nobuo’s landed in his hand. He clutched Aoi’s waist, and nuzzled the plastic girl’s form against his cheek.

The wish granting light dropped Yumeria and Mitsuki’s devices in their hands as well. The girls looked up to the top of the Future Gadget Labs. MItsuki nodded her head. “You did a good job, old man.”

“Alright, Daru, this is the part where you come in! When I transform, I want you to shout my name, real loud!” said Nobuo. “We may not get Ranger Keys, but this is the next best thing. In the 2D world, being a Sentai hero is reality! Here we go!

“GRAND DELUSION!”

Yumeria and Mitsuki felt their MMZs start to vibrate. When one was in use, it alerted the others. They went through the motions. Yumeria added an extra flair to hers, brandishing the gun barrel stuck to Aoi’s leg like it was a pirate’s blunderbuss.

“Grand Delusion!”

Itaru cleared his throat and let out a hot blooded scream. This man needed no microphone. With all of his being, he shouted to the stars. “AKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIbaranger!”

That was the first time Nobuo’s transformation was done in realtime. He knew that when the heroes are freed from the constraints of stock footage, it means the budget is being put towards something meant to be big. Nobuo’s scarf blew in the wind. He posed against the moon, as expected of a hero.

“So is this Z-Cune Aoi anything like Blood Tune?” asked Itaru.

“Shut up, I’m posing,” Nobuo said.

Yumeria and Mitsuki faded into the scene. They had donned their Akibaranger suits as well. The yellow pirate jumped on Nobuo and gave him a large hug. Mitsuki hesitated for a moment, but she was laughing joyously beneath her helmet.

“Wow, they’re like real heroes!” said Mayuri.

“We’re local heroes,” said Mitsuki.

“But we won’t let our ship be attacked by scallywags like that!” said Yumeria.

“Farewell, Faris, Kyouma,” said Nobuo, saluting. “Thanks for saving me. Now it’s my turn to save the world.”

“It’s just Akihabara,” said Itaru.

“You fool! Akihabara is the world to us!” said Okabe.

* * *

One jump cut later, the Akibaranger were on the other side of the barrier. They stepped in front of Nitori, Sakura and Ena. Noko descended onto the roof. She reached into her dress and produced her box cutter, holding it up to Nobuo’s neck.

“Give me Axanael,” she said dryly.

“Here you go,” Nobuo said, placing the gun in the pale girl’s hand, “The only gun I need is right here. Aoi, let’s go!”

Nobuo carried himself with an exaggerated pose. He held one arm upward and the other forward. “My Sentai brother in soul is Gooooooookai Silver! Akiba Red!”

Mitsuki went through an elaborate acrobatics routine before coming back to her favorite fighting stance. “Akiba Blue!”

Yumeria spun her gun around in her hand. “Almost all shipping be delusions anyway, so why not go all out? Nobuo wants to see Aoi and Jeanne make out, just as I want to...”

“Pain is power!” Nobuo shouted. “Unofficial Sentai...”

“Akibaranger!”

Fireworks exploded behind the trio as they hit their final pose. The falling lights momentarily took the shape of the Akibaranger logo.

Nobuo pointed his MMZ at the tanuki, and launched a barrage of shots. The tanuki looked like it had actually been affected by this. Mitsuki jumped off the roof and held her right leg forward. She slammed into the outside of the tanuki’s sack. Her foot impacted one of his giant balls. The creature woke up. It began running away from the destruction it had already created, clutching its giant, swinging balls between its legs.

Sakura had began running shortly after the explosion. She regrouped with her buddies. She barely came up the tanuki’s knee, but if these guys needed some help, she was willing to lend it. The red one seemed to know what a doujinbo was. Sakura stabbed her wooden sword into the tanuki’s foot. It let out a howl of pain.

“That’s as far as you go,” she said. “Boys, let’s tell ‘im who he’s dealing with.”

“Special Attack Commander, Miso the Strong!” said the one with the pompadour.

“Staff Officer, Crasher Bu!” said the afroed one.

Sakura pulled her sword over her shoulders. “And the head! Tsukiyano Sakura! We’re blooming wildly and rampaging across Koriyama, the Momonosekku Gang!”

“Nice to meet you!” said the three in unison. Sakura cast her glance to the sky. “Akiba Blue, you’re the one that filled in for me, right? Good work. Now give him hell!”

Mitsuki nodded in response.

“Captain, prepare to draw upon our special weapon!” said Yumeria. “Buster Shades!”

The giant orange pair of sunglasses materialized in the hands of the three Rangers. They charged it with their energy, and sent the sunglasses off like a boomerang. A tail of energy in the three colors followed behind it. The tanuki was struck on the back of his neck by the shades, becoming momentarily stunned.

The shades returned to Nobuo’s hand, and contorted themselves into the lightning bolt shape of his visor. Akiba Red’s visor shone green for a brief moment.

Nobuo raised his hand to the sky. “Deploy, Machine Itasshar!”

The portal that led to the Future Gadget Labs disappeared. Another green, swirling vortex took its place in the sky. The car, its Z-Cune Aoi decals reflecting the glow of the city lights, dropped onto the street. Green sparkling energy ran up its form, making it look like cel-shaded CGI. The car crashed on the crowded street, narrowly missing pedestrians. It honked for its owners.

Yumeria held her hand up to Machine Itasshar. “It looks more solid than we are,” she said.

“That’s the way animation works these days,” Nobuo said, “It’s cheaper to render stuff like this in CGI than draw every frame. It’s still fully functional. I wonder if we can get stock footage in this world...”

Nobuo held his hand to his ear and listened. The CD he had left back at the lab was still playing. Faris and Okabe had moved onto Machine Itasshar’s theme song, and were currently trying to outsing each other.

“Unofficial Transformation!” the three said at the same time.

A rainbow colored sphere of light wrapped itself around Itasshar. The car’s parts split and folded over on each other, giving it a pseudo-humanoid shape. Unlike most Sentai robots, it lacked a face, opting to make the head a weapons platform. Nobuo jumped into the rainbow aura and sat himself in the head seat. Yumeria and Mitsuki followed after him. The rainbow effects dissolved, leaving the new form in place.

“Complete, Itasshar Robo!” they said together.

“Captain Nobuo, we still have a problem!” said Yumeria.

Itasshar Robo still only came up to the tanuki’s stomach. Nobuo pressed on the trigger, and fired a laser blast from Itasshar Robo’s head-mounted cannon. The tanuki was pushed back onto a nearby pile of rubble.

“Even if we’re not to scale, that’s okay!” Nobuo said. “The size of robots is never consistent in Super Sentai!”

“This isn’t a Sentai, it’s something else!” said MItsuki.

“It doesn’t matter! We can still win! Fire, Itamachine Gun!” Nobuo shouted.

Itasshar Robo’s gun turrets lit up. Bullets poured into the tanuki’s skin, but most of them bounced off. The few that did pierce its skin didn’t make it deep enough to do any significant damage. Mitsuki grabbed the controls.

“Old man, how many weapons does this thing have?” asked Mitsuki.

“I know there’s a lot of firearms, but most main Sentai robots get a sword. Maybe we could turn something around here into one...” he was cut off in mid sentence. Mitsuki was steering the robot towards Animate, intending to yank off its sign.

Noko swooped down from the sky and flew alongside the trio, keeping pace with Itasshar Robo with ease. “Don’t wreck the scenery more. I want a chance to atone for my sins, so on behalf of Nitori and I... use this.”

Itasshar Robo grabbed hold of Noko’s box cutter. The delusional power flowing through its gas tank surrounded the cutter and enlarged it several times in size. The box cutter was cranked up to its maximum length. Itasshar Robo gripped its weapon like a pirate as another burst of color, this one in shades of black and red, burst out behind it.

“Mental Cutter!” shouted Yumeria. “We can do a lot of damage with this.”

“I was expecting something more heroic sounding,” said Nobuo.

“Leave the rest up to me,” said Mitsuki. “Itasshar Robo, You’re The Only I Need Slash!” The robot held the box cutter above its head and moved it in a half circle. Phantom images of the makeshift sword appeared in the air, followed by a diagonal slash directly across the tanuki’s torso.

Nobuo and Yumeria applauded. The crowd watching the fight did the same. Ena had regrouped with her family and Chiaki, and already put in a word to Mizuha and Sei. The tanuki had endurance and a will to fight, but the Akibaranger were using the scenery to their advantage. Akihabara was still their home, no matter what version.

Sakura loaded Axanael with a bullet. She slid her hand down the cylinder, and the gun clicked through its chambers. She pointed the gun up at the tanuki. “I can end all of this now! I’m willing to take this chance! If I can get a miracle, now would be a really good time for it!”

“Boss...” Miso and Bu said together.

Mizuha, safer than the others, approached the scene. She shouted towards Nobuo. “Old man, did you use Axanael?”

“It worked!” Nobuo said. “We’ve already triggered the flag for this victory. I can already see the ending.” Nobuo pushed his fingers up against his nose, sliding a pair of imaginary glasses.

“I didn’t think it would work with rubber bullets,” said Mizuha. “You were never in any danger. Now, the bullet that Sakura has is real, but you weren’t betting your life at all.”

Itasshar Robo ceased movement. The tanuki swung its tail around, knocking the miniature robot into the side of a building. “I can’t even be an official character in this game? Then what was that bad end about?”

“Just another delusion,” said Sei solemnly.

Nobuo laughed. “Who cares? This is the most exciting thing we’ve done! Sakura, Nitori, we’ll subdue the tanuki, and you can blast away. I’m going to bring this to a good ending.”

“Yet not a single blow to his body. What do you propose we do, cap’n?” asked Yumeria.

“The same thing we did for the Megazord. We launch Itasshar through it,” said Nobuo. “Cancel transformation!”

Itasshar Robo reverted back to its car form, ejecting the trio before opening up its roof to let them in. They landed in the seats with a loud thud. Nobuo gripped the wheel and put his feet to the pedals. A ramp deluded itself out of the haze just before Machine Itasshar reached it. The car launched itself over the ramp. The wheels continued to spin as it soared through the air. It felt like time had stopped.

“Itasshar Fire!” Nobuo shouted, spinning the steering wheel around.

The front of the car rammed into the tanuki. It pushed against the tanuki’s fur, breaking through to its flesh. Sakura fired a shot from Axanael at that moment. A white flash of light echoed from the gun. At the intersection of Itasshar’s headlights and the gun’s shot, a swirling purple portal opened up.

* * *

Itasshar flew through the aftermath of the Megazord battle. The Cellphonezord’s remains were being picked up by the EMC, but this sight wouldn’t linger in their vision for long. Another portal appeared, and Itasshar landed in the middle of traffic in Akihabara.

Keiji Fujiwara was walking out of a recording studio, checking his watch. “They told me to be there for the event today, but at this rate I’m not going to make it.” Machine Itasshar pulled up in front of him. Yumeria opened the backseat door.

“Would you like a ride?” she asked. “Our next stop is the Secret Base.”

“Secret Base...” Fujiwara examined the business card, “That thing you gave me says I’m supposed to go there. Can we make it in time?”

“The traffic’s cleared up by now. Everyone’s back at work,” said Nobuo. “Let’s driving!”

Fujiwara made it to the cafe on time. The Akibaranger caught a glimpse of themselves out of the corner of their eye, and instantly returned to their own bodies. Fujiwara shook Katsuhiro Suzuki’s hand heartily. The two broke out into an acapella rendition of “One wish, one day” just as Nobuo returned to consciousness.

“What were you doing?” whispered Hiroyo. “I haven’t been able to contact you for a long time. I’m glad you made it out of that delusion, but don’t do something stupid like that again. Kozkoz can’t entertain our guests forever.”

“We’re one step closer to the Most Ridiculous Treasure in the Universe...” Nobuo said sleepily.

Hiroyo handed him a drink. “Go on, join the party.”

Yumeria was already making small talk with Tatsuhisa Suzuki, and Mitsuki was asking about stunt work. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. Any one of them would be a good place to start. He should enjoy these peaceful days. Even a delusional wannabe hero needs peace and quiet to appreciate the things he’s fighting for.


End file.
